Livyatan melvillei is an extinct species of sperm whale that lived about 9.9 to 8.9 million years ago, during the Miocene epoch. The name was inspired by the biblical sea monster Leviathan, and Herman Melville, the author of Moby-Dick. It was probably an apex predator, preying on whales and seals. The teeth, found in the Pisco Formation of Peru, measured 36.2 cm (14.3 in), the longest of any known animal, excluding tusks. The whale's length has been estimated at 13.5 to 17.5 m (44 to 57 ft), making it one of the largest predators ever. It is distinguished from the other raptorial sperm whales by the basin on the skull, and how it spans the entire length of the snout. The spermaceti organ, contained in the skull basin, is thought to have been used in echolocation and communication, or for ramming prey and other sperm whales. The whale may have competed with the giant extinct shark megalodon. Livyatan's extinction was probably caused by a cooling event at the end of the Miocene which resulted in a drop in food populations.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livyatan
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1795:
As a result of the Third Partition of Poland, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ceased to exist as an independent state, with its territory divided between Austria, Prussia, and Russia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_Commonwealth
1889:
Sir Henry Parkes, Premier of the Colony of New South Wales, gave a speech in which he called for the federation of the six Australian colonies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterfield_Oration
1931:
The George Washington Bridge, connecting New York City to Fort Lee, New Jersey, and today the world's busiest motor-vehicle bridge, was dedicated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Bridge
1964:
A military court acquitted generals Dương Văn Đức and Lâm Văn Phát of leading a coup attempt against South Vietnamese leader Nguyễn Khánh. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A2m_V%C4%83n_Ph%C3%A1t
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
coin of the realm: 1. (law, dated) The legal money of a country. 2. (figuratively) Something that is valued like money within a particular context. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coin_of_the_realm
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Values are social norms — they're personal, emotional, subjective, and arguable. All of us have values. Even criminals have values. The question you must ask yourself is, Are your values based upon principles? In the last analysis, principles are natural laws — they're impersonal, factual, objective and self-evident. Consequences are governed by principles and behavior is governed by values; therefore, value principles! --Stephen Covey https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stephen_Covey
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